Attracting fans is one thing. How do you sit down with bobby Ryan this year and tell him your plan on how to win with 12 million dollars less them every cup contender?
- cburgess

Easy tell him the gap was over 30 million pre 2004 lockout. He'll get paid.

I counter with this:


- TommyDeVito

Wow I thought this years team was easy to play against. Soft as butter right there.

Easy tell him the gap was over 30 million pre 2004 lockout. He'll get paid.
- Cup 06

Some players actually want a shot at winning tho. It's not all about the cash with every player. Plus he will likely get more than what Murray is allowed to give him anyways

Wow I thought this years team was easy to play against. Soft as butter right there.
- Cup 06

Another silly Neil lover, eh?

Because that IS the only player who isn't on the roster that would make you say that.

Stewart does everything Neil does, anyway.

I counter with this:


- TommyDeVito

i like that roster

Wow I thought this years team was easy to play against. Soft as butter right there.
- Cup 06

disagree......neil is the only "tough" player that would be gone......and the only toughness he has left usually lands him in the box.

stewart brings close to the same.....with, you know.....an actual ability to play hockey.

forsberg more physical than spezza

kulemin and hemsky are the same

so why is the team soft?

I was thinking something like pick_Yakupov + Spezza.

By the way, I don't think Murray would trade for Yakupov in a million years. Just showing how easy it is though to create a dirt cheap roster.

(Would love Yak City here tho)
- Travis Yost

Yak our pick + for 1 year of Spezza? Does it come with a bowl of crack?

Another silly Neil lover, eh?

Because that IS the only player who isn't on the roster that would make you say that.

Stewart does everything Neil does, anyway.
- TommyDeVito

Nice assumption. It ain't about Neil. Stewart disappears for stretches. I'm talking about a Callahan type player. Lead by example, sets the tone and has some ability. Team lacked strength between the ears this year.

That said Neil isn't going anywhere and is a solid 4th liner.

Nice assumption. It ain't about Neil. Stewart disappears for stretches. I'm talking about a Callahan type player. Lead by example, sets the tone and has some ability. Team lacked strength between the ears this year.

That said Neil isn't going anywhere and is a solid 4th liner.
- Cup 06

idea is to make a cheap roster....doubt cally will help make a cheap roster

disagree......neil is the only "tough" player that would be gone......and the only toughness he has left usually lands him in the box.

stewart brings close to the same.....with, you know.....an actual ability to play hockey.

forsberg more physical than spezza

kulemin and hemsky are the same

so why is the team soft?
- sensarmy_11

It was soft this year. I want a team that was hard to play against and makes the other team earn their wins. Pretty much what the Sens were the previous year. They had that rep around the league.

Now not so much. Emotion is an underrated tool. It's why you see Colorado having success. Pat Roy's fire is contagious. It has to come from somewhere.

It came from Alfie before. Mac was the good cop and Alfie was the "bad" cop. He wasn't always liked in the room by everyone but he was respected.

This year Mac tried to play the dual role but didn't pull it off. Next year he will revert to his old demeanour but I'm not sure who fills that other role.

idea is to make a cheap roster....doubt cally will help make a cheap roster
- sensarmy_11

He'll get a Clarkson deal for sure. I'm just speaking to how those teams would fare not salary structure. Sorry for the confusion.

Stewart isn't a leader, he is more of a complementary player. Neil actually has more fire and effectiveness in the physical side, Stewart has more skill and strength.

It was soft this year. I want a team that was hard to play against and makes the other team earn their wins. Pretty much what the Sens were the previous year. They had that rep around the league.

Now not so much. Emotion is an underrated tool. It's why you see Colorado having success. Pat Roy's fire is contagious. It has to come from somewhere.

It came from Alfie before. Mac was the good cop and Alfie was the "bad" cop. He wasn't always liked in the room by everyone but he was respected.

This year Mac tried to play the dual role but didn't pull it off. Next year he will revert to his old demeanour but I'm not sure who fills that other role.
- Cup 06

There's only one way to win on the cheap, and that's with a bunch if plumbers and a goalie, playing Jacques Lemaire trap style hockey.

Yak our pick + for 1 year of Spezza? Does it come with a bowl of crack?
- Jeropotato

Sens fans are overrating Spezza's actual value. The return(if he is traded) will be underwhelming).

We will have to see which teams falter in the playoffs and decide they need a Spezza to get them to the next level. Right now the market is thin.

There's only one way to win on the cheap, and that's with a bunch if plumbers and a goalie, playing Jacques Lemaire trap style hockey.
- Jeropotato

At some point you have to spend to win but you don't have to all the time. It's cyclical. Right now the Sens are developing and at the point of retaining their assets you'll see an increase in budget.

I think I should have a summer competition in the spirit of the organization. I think I'll create a three-tier prize system.

Goal is to make the best, absolute cheapest roster possible. Emphasis on the cheap part.

Here's a $53MM one and I even signed a UFA D + traded for Chris Stewart!


- Travis Yost

Why is yak on your team?

My problem is not the internal budget. Much prefer the Senator's situation to some other teams who are borderline cap teams but clearly not Stanley Cup contenders. You can likely add a minimum of $8m to your fantasy teams for 2015-16 because of the contract extensions for pending UFAs including Ryan, MacArthur and Anderson. There are going to be a bunch of teams with salary cap problems if as I suspect the salary cap remains pretty stable for 2015-16 due to the 15% depreciation in the Canadian dollar.

Don't want to be caught in the position of defending Melnyk. But the budget and plan seems consistent with the age and development status of this team. I don't disagree with the internal budget. Remember this is the team that had choose between Redden and Chara, between Hossa and Havlat because they could not get back to the very first cap. My problem with Melnyk is poor mouthing the fans and supporters of the team in order for him to try and build his argument for a supplementary revenue stream (casino).

Only the best here in O-town.

Traded Spezza, Neil and a 2015 2nd to Nashville for Forsberg and Matt Cullen.

Traded that Matt Cullen, Shane Prince, and a 2014 3rd for Chris Stewart.

Signed Gilbert/Kulemin.
- TommyDeVito

I thought the goal was to build a cheap and better roster

How is this better?

56 million reasons to hate our dirtbag of an owner

I think I should have a summer competition in the spirit of the organization. I think I'll create a three-tier prize system.

Goal is to make the best, absolute cheapest roster possible. Emphasis on the cheap part.

Here's a $53MM one and I even signed a UFA D + traded for Chris Stewart!


- Travis Yost

Quick aside... I'm curious. From both a points perspective, corsi, or whatever metric you want to use, how many non-ELC players are better "bang for your buck" than Turris at $3.5M???

Quick aside... I'm curious. From both a points perspective, corsi, or whatever metric you want to use, how many non-ELC players are better "bang for your buck" than Turris at $3.5M???
- LondonSen

Good for a future post! (Not many)

Good for a future post! (Not many)
- Travis Yost

Travis, I mentioned a few months back (actually you answered with a full blog later) that I was highly impressed with Columbus. Granted that Bobrovsky didn't have a great game against Pittsburgh last night, but how good will this team be with their young guys moving forward? It's an interesting comparison because they actually have an extra $10M cap hit this season, but could ice essentially the same roster at a cost likely around $58-59M next season.

ANA, PHX, DAL, NSH, BUF, EDM, OTT, CAL, COL, NYI, 30. FLA

Those are the bottom teams in salaries this year. You have the top 5 picks in the draft.

1. WSH, TB, PHI, SJ, DET, BOS, PIT, CHI, MIN, TOR

These are the top 10 team in NHL. 2 teams don't make the playoffs.

Before Eugene Melynk calls other people idiots he needs to look in the mirror. Spending makes the team more likely to be better. The biggest idiot in the world can see that.... or maybe he can't

At some point you have to spend to win but you don't have to all the time. It's cyclical. Right now the Sens are developing and at the point of retaining their assets you'll see an increase in budget.
- Cup 06

Ok, so what will it take the Oilers to pry Mark Methot from your dying hands?

Travis, I mentioned a few months back (actually you answered with a full blog later) that I was highly impressed with Columbus. Granted that Bobrovsky didn't have a great game against Pittsburgh last night, but how good will this team be with their young guys moving forward? It's an interesting comparison because they actually have an extra $10M cap hit this season, but could ice essentially the same roster at a cost likely around $58-59M next season.
- LondonSen

Their roster is really good. Bobrovsky kind of poop the bed last night and I don't even think they played a great game in general. There's probably something to a young team gripping sticks tight in the first game or two of the playoffs.

Only problem is, you don't have a lot of margin for error. G2 is huge.

how do you guys get the page off capgeek.........i assume you use "print screen", but i have a mac, so no idea where that even is. anyways, i'll just write mine out.

transactions:

trade spezza to STL for shattenkirk

trade prince and greening to Buffalo for stewart

sign callahan 6 years 5.75

re-sign hoffman (900k), grant(660k), gryba (1.5mil), lehner (2mil)

let rest of UFA's walk

my roster is

macarthur - turris - ryan
stone - zibby - callahan
neil - smith - stewart
hoffman - pageau - condra
grant

karlsson - shattenkirk
methot - cowen
wiercioch - phillips
gryba

andy
lehner

cap payroll - 56,180,000 cap space - 14,919,000